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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Need some levity? Read on!

A 1970s Counterculture Bash at Zodiac News Service. Were You There?

September 5, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

It was a 1970s counterculture bash at Zodiac News Service. If you were there, pls help ID these party-goer pix. (Be patient. Lots of photos to upload!) Read more.

Widowed: Archiving My Husband and Zodiac, His Scrappy 1970s News Service

August 1, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

Zodiac-News-Service-Nov-11-12-1972

Can you archive a dead spouse? Can you stash them away in a temperature-controlled academic repository, to be preserved for centuries?  Read more.

Sixteen Years Left to Live. How Many Bowls of Froot Loops Is That?

June 6, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

froot-loops-at-my-grocery-store

In the sixteen years I’ve got left, how many of the gotta-do items on my to-do list will I get done?  Read more.

Maybe I Want a Facelift After All

January 31, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

window-with-houseplants

Facelifts that leave your cheeks looking like you’re facing into 100-mph headwinds are not for me. Or are they?  Read more.

Where to Throw a Throw Pillow? On the Bedroom Floor, of Course

December 6, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

bed-styled-with-pillows

Where to throw those fancy decorator throw pillows? At my house, if you’re getting into bed, you throw them on the floor.  Read more.

I’m a Grammar Geek: I Don’t Get Nauseous. I’ve Never Received a Kudo. And I Never, Ever Lay on My Yoga Mat

October 25, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

stack-of-yoga-mats

I’m a grammar geek and I’m old: I don’t get nauseous. I’ve never received a kudo. And I never, ever lay on my yoga mat.  Read more.

Linguist Anne Curzan: Grammar That’s Funner Than Ever

September 13, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

says-who-book-cover-curzan

A kindly University of Michigan linguist, Anne Curzan, makes grammar funner than ever with her new guide to usage, “Says Who.”  Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Comedian Robert Morse – Dead at 90. Very Much Alive at 36

comedian robert morse in a Clip from Man Men TV show showing Robert Morse singing and dancing with secretaries.

The last time I saw comedian Robert Morse he was a young guy, a fireball. It was 1967 and he was working the crowd on the set of a TV show.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

A six-year-old boy dressed as a cowboy for halloween. Photo by Barbara Newhall

A Case of the Human Condition: When Your Six-Year-Old Wants to Talk Money

Front page of the Detroit News, 1913, with headline describing harsh shipwreck weather on Great Lakes.

Nature. We Love It — But Does It Give a Darn About Us?

A bride wearing a plaid dress sits among frothy wedding dresses at Le Marriage, LA. Wedding dress shopping. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Wedding Dress Shopping — When Your Daughter Lets You Tag Along

tinted-eyebrows-aging

Tint My Eyebrows? It’s an Existential Question

MORE DON'T MISS!

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